Twice as many people read the Mauti story, even though both he and Hodges had similar football careers and were equally noble in serving the Penn State program through NCAA sanctions.

Hodges was a fine player and model citizen at Penn State, an All-Big Ten linebacker who quietly did everything the coaches asked and plenty more. He likely has a long NFL career ahead of him.

But with all due respect, Mauti did so much more.

He was a fiery, emotional leader at Penn State and was most visible in speaking out against the NCAA last summer. He denounced the rule allowing players to transfer at will and offered criticisms of other coaches actively trying to "recruit" them.

Fans didn't have the platform to share their feelings about the NCAA, but in Mauti, they found an outlet for their frustrations.

"For them [the NCAA] to say that it's helping us, for them to say that they're doing us a service by allowing us to transfer with no rules, is -- I'm going to choose my word carefully -- it's a joke,'' Mauti said at the Big Ten meetings last July.

"To me, it just doesn't seem right. Even some coaches from this conference. … If I'm a competitor, I don't care what school you're from. If you're from any school, or any conference, I gotta problem with that.''

When the cameras were on, Mauti shined. He spoke with an edge, the de facto spokesman for a program and fan base that had been kicked around in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He embraced that role and earned respect nationally in the way he carried himself under the spotlight.

“We just viewed that whole adversity as an opportunity for us to kind of show positives in a really screwed up situation," Mauti said after being drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round. "We had a great senior class and a great head coach in coach O’Brien and it was the most fun I’ve had playing in any season.”

View full sizePenn State linebacker Michael Mauti talks with his teammates while in street clothes prior to kickoff against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium. JOE HERMITT, PennLive.com

He took to the field with that fiery passion and had an All-America season with 95 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles in just over 10 games. When the ball hit the turf, chances were, he was responsible for it.

More than that, Mauti was a tone setter. Penn State needed every bit of him during an 8-4 season, and he gave it all, even on special teams. If he wasn't swinging momentum with a turnover or bone-jarring hit, Mauti was motivating his teammates to make those big plays.

“I couldn’t be happier to be playing with Gerald," Mauti said. "We had a lot of fun playing together last season and the season before that. He’s a great support structure there and you kind of have a familiar face to go through the process with and I couldn’t be happier in any situation. It’s a great opportunity we both have ahead of us."

Mauti will go down as one of the all-time greats at Penn State, and it has to do with so much more than the way he played the game.

What do you think? Where does Mauti rank among your favorite Penn State players? Does his leadership set him apart from some of the rest?